Courtesy of USGA
Jennifer Peng set multiple scoring records on Sunday en route to earning medalist honors in the 34th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The 25-year-old from San Diego, Calif., fired a 6-under-par 66 on the North Course at Berkeley Hall Club – the lowest 18-hole score in championship history – for a 36-hole total of 8-under 136.
Her 136 total broke the previous 36-hole scoring record set by two-time champion Julia Potter-Bobb in 2019 at Forest Hills G.C. in Flagstaff, Ariz., by two strokes. Peng, who earned the No. 1 seed for match play that begins on Monday, finished eight strokes clear of 2018 champion Shannon Johnson, of North Easton, Mass., and Jamie Freedman, of Aventura, Fla., both of whom finished at even-par 144.
Peng, who shared the 18-hole first-round lead with Johnson and Sarah Gallagher after shooting 2-under 70 on Saturday, took advantage of scoring opportunities early on Sunday. Starting on the 10th tee, she birded the first two holes and picked up a third on the par-3 14th.
“It was an unbelievable day. I was just out there having a good time; putts were dropping, and I got lucky on a couple shots. I haven’t played like this in years,” said Peng.
For the second consecutive day, she made an eagle 3 on the par-5 15th – this time without the need for her putter. After hitting her second into the front-right greenside bunker, Peng holed out her third.
“It bounced on the green, had the perfect break and went right in. We were all shocked,” said Peng, a 2018 Yale University graduate who recently relocated back to her native San Diego after working in New York City following college. “I can’t remember the last time I had an eagle in tournament play and now here I did it on the same hole.”
After trading a pair of birdies and bogeys on her second nine, Peng capped her round by rolling in a 50-foot putt for birdie on the 373-yard, par-4 ninth.
Peng’s older brother, Eric, is serving as her caddie for the first time in a competitive championship. Eric, a former golfer at Army West Point, is now stationed in Fort Irwin in California as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Three-time U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Lara Tennant shot 74-71 to earn the No. 4 seed, while Lana Weant, of Lubbock Texas, finished 73-72 to earn the No. 5 seed. Tennant, 54, of Portland Ore., carded the lone under-par round of the morning wave, and one of only three on the day.
“I feel like my game is in a good spot. The course is tough, but I’m figuring out where to place the ball,” said Tennant, 54, who won her third consecutive Senior Women’s Am title 10 days ago in Alabama. “I had a couple good birdie putts that went in, so that’s always fortunate.”
Five players competed in a playoff for the 64th and final spot in the match-play bracket on Sunday. Aliea Clark, 25, of New York, N.Y., a former player at UCLA who grew up in Carlsbad, Calif., birdied the first playoff hole (par-5 10th) to punch her ticket. Clark and Peng know each other from their junior golf days in San Diego.
What’s Next
The Round of 64 begins on Monday at 8:30 a.m. EDT, followed by two rounds of match play both Tuesday and Wednesday before the 18-hole championship match on Thursday at 9 a.m. EDT. Spectators are welcome to attend, and admission is free.
ABOUT THE
U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur
The U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur originated in
1987 to provide a national competitive arena
for amateurs 25 and older. Besides the age
restriction, the event is open to those with a
USGA Handicap Index of 9.4 or lower. It is
one of 14 national championships conducted
annually by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly
for amateurs.
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